


Opposites Attract

by crowsofmurder



Series: sunset curve headcanons, memories, and moments [4]
Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV 2020)
Genre: Alex Mercer Has Anxiety (Julie and the Phantoms), Alex Mercer-centric (Julie and The Phantoms), Bobby Wilson Has Angry Issues (Julie and the Phantoms), Bobby | Trevor Wilson-centric, Gay Alex Mercer (Julie and The Phantoms), Gen, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Luke Patterson Has ADHD (Julie and The Phantoms), Luke Patterson Has Dyslexia (Julie and The Phantoms), Protective Alex Mercer (Julie and The Phantoms), Protective Bobby | Trevor Wilson, Reggie Peters Has ADHD (Julie and The Phantoms), Trans Bobby Wilson (Julie and The Phantoms), i have a lot of feelings about bobby and alex okay, its not, just the boys dont have good parents, let me be, these tags make it seem really bad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-19
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-15 19:34:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29564067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crowsofmurder/pseuds/crowsofmurder
Summary: From the outside, Alex Mercer and Bobby Wilson being friends didn’t make sense. They were as opposite of each other as two people could be. But, just like the opposite sides of a magnet, once in each other’s presence, they immediately sought each other out.---How Bobby and Alex became friends in sixth grade, the things that they went through together, and how they meet Luke and Reggie.
Relationships: Bobby | Trevor Wilson & Alex Mercer, Bobby | Trevor Wilson & Alex Mercer & Luke Patterson & Reggie Peters
Series: sunset curve headcanons, memories, and moments [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2143374
Comments: 5
Kudos: 56





	Opposites Attract

**Author's Note:**

> I have a lot of feelings about Alex and Bobby being friends, okay? Like, they are the definition of "Person with Helicopter Parents/Person with Neglectful Parents"

From the outside, Alex Mercer and Bobby Wilson being friends didn’t make sense. They were as opposite of each other as two people could be. But, just like the opposite sides of a magnet, once in each other’s presence, they immediately sought each other out. Their differences complemented each other in just a perfect way; they were like two puzzle pieces finding each other. 

Meeting on the first day of middle school, their appearances quickly set them apart. Bobby in his all-black outfit and red shoes with his uneven bathroom haircut and a bound down chest - a secret that he clung to desperately. Alex and his perfectly ironed shirt tucked into his pants, neatly styled hair, and eyes that were always on the ground to keep from wandering where they weren’t supposed to. They were two boys with their own secrets and paths that would’ve never crossed, had it not been for their shared love for music and Alex’s anxiety.

Alex had been on the verge of another anxiety attack. That had started becoming more and more frequent over the summer and they still terrified them. The reason this time was because Alex had been staring at Matthew Creed from his English class and the other boy caught him. He didn’t seem to mind as he flashed Alex a kind smile, but it did nothing but shoot waves of anxiety through the blonde.

And the second the final bell of the day went off, he bolted from the classroom and made his way to the music room for shelter, not knowing anywhere else to go. In his frantic state of mind, Alex hadn’t noticed the other boy tucked in the corner of the classroom as he crouched down into the small space between the piano and the wall. The boy reacted before he could even think, setting his guitar to the side and hurrying over to the panicking boy. He knelt in front of the blonde, being mindful to keep enough distance between them so they wouldn’t touch. He talked Alex through the attack, words falling from his lips without him even needing to think about it. Years later, Alex would ask him how he knew what to do and Bobby would explain that his Nana had talked him through his first anxiety attack before she passed away and he had been repeating those words to himself during his own anxiety attacks since then. 

After that day, Alex Mercer and Bobby Wilson became a packaged deal. Where one went, the other was always a step behind. Alex’s parents had been less than thrilled about the dark-clothed boy that was suddenly taking up all of their son’s time and attention and Bobby’s parents were never home long enough to notice the second boy that started spending the afternoons in their house. Those hours spent together started with attempts at studying and ended with Bobby showing Alex the new chords he had learned on his guitar and on some days, he would pull Alex close and try to teach him how to play as well. Those sessions always ended in fits of laughter and Bobby teasing Alex until the boy’s face was red. But, if Alex went to his next therapy appointment and happened to mention how he thought a drum set would help in dealing with his anxiety, knowing perfectly well that the man would quickly turn around and tell his parents just like they were paying him to do, well then that was a secret Alex didn’t mind keeping. If Bobby ever found out it was all so they could learn music together, the teasing would never end.  
\---

It was the summer after seventh grade when Alex caught a glimpse of the storm filled with anger and pain that was brewing under Bobby’s skin. 

He was heading up the walkway when he saw that the front door was wide open. Rather than being frozen with his panic like he usually was, Alex bolted inside. He took one second into the Wilson home before freezing. The house had never been anything less than neat and tiny every time he came over, but now, it just looked like a storm had blown through. Glass covered the floor from the pictures of the seemingly picture-perfect family that had been knocked from the walls, furniture had been overturned, the kitchen floor was covered in broken bottles, and the stench of alcohol was quickly filling the air. Alex slowly walked further into the house and that’s when he heard it. Sobbing. Alex followed the sounds up the stairs and down the hall, passing one of the open bedrooms. He paused for a moment to take in the same disaster that was in the room. Drawers had been pulled from the dresser and were completely bare, the same thing with the closet. Fear started to pool in Alex’s chest as he pressed forward to Bobby’s room. 

He found his best friend curled up against the wall, arms wrapped tightly around his knees as his body jerked from sobs he was trying to silence. Even when alone, Bobby hated crying. And just like Bobby had done for him, Alex knelt beside him and talked him through his breakdown, whispering soothing words until Bobby stepped out of his shell and curled his arms around Alex.

“She left.” Bobby would whisper later as he laid with Alex on his bed, curled up against his friend’s side while Alex ran his fingers through his hair. “Found out he was having an affair. A-And he said he was going on a trip for a few days.” Alex pulled Bobby closer to him when his body started to shake again but there were no more tears for the guitarist to let out. Instead, he drew in a shaky breath. “I hate them...” Those unspoken yet well-known words had finally been set free. “I hate them.” Alex had never heard so much anger and pain in Bobby’s voice but he understood it. While he still had his secrets, his relationship with his parents was starting to strain. Bobby’s relationship with his parents had been nonexistent since he was born, he was used to the loneliness and anger and he didn’t have a problem with yelling his hatred into the empty house. Alex was still clinging to the sense of normalcy that his secrets had allowed him to have with his parents, but he knew it wasn’t going to last. His father was starting to give him odd looks and his mother was constantly trying to get him to talk to the girls from their church.

After a while of laying together, the boys stood and started working on cleaning up the mess that was made throughout the house but only lasted for an hour or so. Bobby was too emotionally exhausted to do much and when Alex stumbled across a picture he had never seen before, of the Wilsons and a young girl with long brown hair and vacant brown eyes, Bobby decided that it was time for a talk. With an uneven voice, Bobby explained the black undershirt he always wore and how when he was born his mother had named him Rebecca. Alex was stunned into silence as he realized that Bobby was like him. Without the usual tick of anxiety, he reached forward and took Bobby’s hands in his, kissing his knuckles gently before smiling widely at him. “I like boys.” It had been the first time Alex had said those words out loud and panic had tried to creep its way back into his heart but quickly melted away when Bobby smiled at him. They both knew the world would try and break them down because of who they were but nothing could ever stop them when they had each other. 

Alex ended up staying the night. Neither one of the boys wanted to be alone and for the first time in his life, Alex Mercer missed church.  
\---

“I’m so dead.”

Bobby snorted as he watched Alex pace back and forth the next morning, his bowl of cereal quickly forgotten on the kitchen counter. “I think it’s better if you didn’t go back.” His tone was light, his words only partly true. He had long since given up on the idea of religion and he hadn’t stepped foot inside a church since he was a child and his parents were still trying to pretend they weren’t the terrible people they really were. But he knew that church was something that had always been a part of Alex’s life, and even though he was starting to see the flaws in the system, it was still something that was important to him. So when Alex stopped pacing and turned to look at him, Bobby was quick to change his approach. “It’s just, I think people who claim to be followers of love and acceptance only to turn around and spread nothing but hate to anyone who is different than them are nothing but liars.” Alex hated that he agreed with him. But they let the conversation drop and they spend the rest of the day having fun and desperately trying to forget that Bobby would be alone when he did head home. 

When he did finally return home, he was greeted with yelling from both parents. It wasn’t until he was able to push down the growing knot in his throat and say, “Bobby’s mother left,” did the yelling stop. For the first time since his friendship with the other boy started, Mrs. Mercer felt bad for the young Wilson. 

“You’re still in trouble for missing church. But, let your friend know that he is welcomed here after school to study.”

Alex did his best not to notice the look his father was giving him as he made his way to the phone to call Bobby and let him know. It was a short call. He knew his mother was listening in on the other line in the house. And Alex knew that once he was allowed to hang out with Bobby again, his friend would never step foot into the Mercer home again if he could help it.  
\---

Over the next two years, Alex drifted further away from his parents and closer to Bobby. He started staying over more nights during the week and only going home when he absolutely had to. He kept going to church but he left immediately after the service while his parents stayed for the food that was served. 

Eighth grade came and went and the summer quickly bled into freshman year. 

Bobby started wearing baggier clothes to hide the curves of his body that had gotten much more noticeable since sixth grade and Alex was soon towering over him. But, because it was Alex, it only annoyed Bobby instead of making him hate his body more than he already did. They were best friends, completely inseparable, and nothing could change that. Not Alex’s anxiety that constantly told him that he wasn’t worth Bobby’s time nor Bobby’s anger thoughts that tried so hard to wrap Alex up in his hatred for the world. No matter what the voices in their heads tried to tell them, having each other in their lives was what made the world bearable. Neither one of them knew where they would be without the other, and neither one of them wanted to think about it.  
\---

A month into freshman year, two other boys came crashing into their lives. 

For Bobby, it was another dark-haired boy from his math class that wore a bright smile that didn’t match the bruises he always seemed to wear. Bobby never thought of himself as bad at math but even he could see that Reggie Peters was a genius with numbers. So many of their classmates went to the boy that sat next to Bobby to check their answers but so few of them actually bothered to talk to him. In fact, on more than one occasion, Bobby would hear whispers about the boy and his constant talking. It pissed Bobby off to see so many people clearly taking advantage of Reggie but it wasn’t until Ethan Walker made a comment that made Bobby’s blood boil in the middle of class. 

Reggie had been talking to a few of the nicer girls that sat on his other side when the jock turned around in his chair to glare at him. 

“Is it really impossible for you to shut up? What, mommy and daddy don’t listen to you at home?”

The thing was, nearly everybody knew about the Peters and their inability to stop fighting, and it was easy to assume that they didn’t care about Reggie either, if the healing bruise on his cheek was anything to go by. But his comment made the boy’s mouth snap shut and he sunk lower in his chair. From Bobby’s angle, he could see the tremble of Reggie’s bottom lip and he snapped. 

“You really going to pick on the one kid who is keeping you from failing this class?” Almost everyone turned to look at Bobby, the punk who only ever spoke to one person in the entire school. “Or are you just that upset that nobody cares about what you had to say that you have to make someone else feel like shit?” His eyes bored into Ethan, daring him to say something. He didn’t. The jock just glared and turned back around. 

Bobby sat back in his chair, head tilted back slightly with his eyes shut. He didn’t say another word for the rest of the class but when the bell rang, he stood and turned to Reggie. “Mind if I walk with you?” His voice was softer, the fire from before had been completely replaced with a tone of gentleness and care that was so foreign to Reggie. So he nodded and walked beside Bobby to his next class, trying to ignore the stares from the other students they passed. 

While Bobby was busy making sure everyone knew not to mess with Reggie, Alex was on the other side of the school, shaking in his seat. Only, it wasn’t his anxiety that was making him shake, it was anger. 

Alex Mercer wasn’t an angry person. He was typically the calm to Bobby’s storm, but if there was one thing that Alex hated, it was bullies. And his English class was filled with them. 

Luke Patterson had gone to a different middle school than everyone in the class, so no one knew anything about him. All they knew was that he never stopped moving and often tripped over his words every time he spoke. Unlike the students who whispered about Reggie behind his back, the ones who had locked onto Luke didn’t bother to try and hide their snickers every time he was called on to read or when he dropped his pencil because he was twirling it too much. Luke took it like a champ, though, keeping his eyes down on the floating letters of his book and never let his voice waver. But there was a familiar tremble in his shoulders that Alex knew like the back of his hand. And when Luke basically ran out of the room the second the bell went off, Alex was right on his heels. 

Alex did his best to avoid the bathrooms at school, finding them far too disgusting for his comfort, but that wasn’t enough to make him walk away when he knew Luke had been mere seconds from breaking down. So he pushed open the doors and knocked on the stall that was shut. His heart broke at the sobs that Luke was trying so hard to cover up. “Hey, it’s Alex- I’m in your English class.” Comforting a stranger was nothing like comforting Bobby, but he did his best. “I know people can be real jerks sometimes, and I just wanted to make sure you were okay. Or, that you had someone to talk to if you weren’t okay.”

The lock flipped and the stall door swung open under Alex’s touch. He stepped into the stall and shut the door again before crouching down next to Luke. He didn’t seem too far over the edge like this was something he was familiar with and had already worked through most of the recovery on his own. But his head was still hung, light brown hair hiding him from Alex. 

“I-I’m fine.” Luke forced out, frustration clear in his tone. “Just…” He lifted his head slightly, red-rimmed eyes falling onto Alex. “Sit with me for a bit?” 

Alex smiled. Maybe this wasn’t much different than comforting Bobby. So often, Bobby usually opted for sitting in silence than talking about his problems right away. “Sure.” 

The two sat together for a couple of minutes before Luke sniffled and rubbed his cheeks. “Sorry about that. Stressful day.” He gave Alex a tight smile. “We should get to class.” Luke stood and dusted himself off. He rocked slightly on his heels, waiting for Alex to stand as well before opening the stall door and walked over to the sinks. 

“Don’t worry about it.” Alex nudged Luke gently with his elbow before moving to wash his hands as well. He may have been careful about touching the floor but the running watch still made him feel better. “Hey, what lunch period do you have?”

Luke stayed quiet for a moment. “After this class period.” He dried his hands and shoved them into his pockets. He was still rocking back and forth. Alex smiled. 

“You should sit with me. A friend of mine will be there too, but he’s cool.” Luke didn’t need to know that Bobby would definitely be on his back about inviting someone to sit with them, but he would never do that in front of Luke, and once he explained, Alex just knew that Bobby would break and let Luke sit with them. Bobby may have painted a lovely image of black clothes and a punk rock attitude, but he was a softie when it came to taking care of others, no matter how much he tried to deny it. 

“I don’t know.”

“Just think about it?” Alex offered, his expression completely soft. He didn’t want it to seem like he was trying to push Luke to do something he didn’t want to do. But Luke nodded, looking much more at ease than he had, and Alex felt his chest tighten. “I hope I’ll see you later.” He knocked his elbow against Luke again as they left that bathroom and parted ways. 

Bobby raised an eyebrow when Alex strolled into class late, moving his bag from the chair next to him so he could sit down. It hadn’t been necessary to section off the spot next to him as the class wasn’t completely full and no one was going to willingly sit next to him besides Alex, but he had done it anyway. Once Alex sat down, Bobby shifted closer to him. “You okay?” Worry was dipping from Bobby’s words and it made Alex smile. 

“Better be careful. If someone heard you, people might start thinking you care about me, Wilson.” He teased. 

Bobby rolled his eyes and stretched his leg out to bump his foot against Alex’s. “You’re never late to class unless _I’m_ the one making you late. So what gives?” Hearing Alex so calm and joking with him had made a lot of Bobby’s worry disappear. But there was still tension in his shoulders like he was waiting for Alex to drop a bomb on him and he was going to need to have to fight someone. Bobby hadn’t actually gotten into many fights in his life but the ones that he had had all been for Alex and rumors spread pretty quickly after you break another student’s hand after he shoved the blonde into the lockers back in eighth grade. 

But Alex just waved him off. “I’m fine. Just had to help someone out after our classmates were being jerks. By the way, we may have someone else sit with us at lunch.” And to his surprise, Bobby just nodded. 

“Make that a possible two somebodies.” Bobby shuffled slightly at the look Alex had given him. “I may have offered the same thing to the kid from my math class.” Alex knew who he was talking about. Bobby had mentioned Reggie Peters a few times over the past month and he had also been keeping an eye on the kid but he hadn’t approached him. Bobby had claimed that he wasn’t going to get involved, so something must’ve really pissed him off for him to actually talk to someone and offer them to eat lunch with the pair. 

When lunch came around, Alex and Bobby settled themselves at their usual table close to the windows but neither one of them bothered to touch their food right away. They were both too busy scanning the cluster of students for two other boys to be interested in eating. And surprisingly enough, when Bobby did spot Reggie, he noticed a boy matching the description of Luke he had been given following close behind him. A small smile tugged at his lips for a moment. Of course, the boys he and Alex were trying to befriend were already friends. 

“Hey, Peters.” Bobby nodded

Reggie smiled. “Hey. I know you said I could eat with you two, but is it cool if Luke eats with us too?” Luke was watching Bobby from over Reggie’s shoulder, eyes narrowed as if he was expecting to shoot Reggie’s request down. 

Alex leaned forward with his arms folded on the table, matching Reggie’s smile with his own. “Of course! I had offered the same to Luke anyway, so it doesn’t bother us.” Reggie immediately brightened and moved to take the seat next to Bobby while Luke sat across from him, next to Alex. There was a bit of hesitation that had fallen over the group but then Bobby notices small cuts on Luke’s fingers and asks if he plays the guitar. The boy immediately perks up and launches into a speech about how he does play the guitar and how Reggie also plays the bass and how much the two of them love music. Reggie continues where Luke left off and goes on about how Luke writes his own songs, which causes the other boy to blush but he still smiles anyway. Alex is laughing and mentions their own connection with music, how he plays the drums and Bobby had been playing the rhythm guitar for years. And suddenly, everything just clicks into place. The hesitation was gone and it became just as easy to talk to Reggie and Luke as it is for Bobby to talk to Alex. 

After that, the four boys began seeking each other out both in and outside of their classes. Luke and Reggie are invited over to Bobby’s place and it’s only a matter of days before they start leaving their own marks on the garage as well. The next day, Bobby forces one kid to get up and move to a different spot so he can sit next to Luke in their history class, Alex and Reggie pair up for their science class, and the four of them meet up in the main hall of the school before walking into the lunchroom together. 

Word quickly spread around the school that Bobby Wilson’s protection had spread to included Reggie Peters and Luke Patterson. He makes a show of it by shoving one of the kids from Luke’s English class against the wall and hissing out promises of broken bones if he doesn’t back off. And if Alex walks Reggie to his math class with an arm thrown over the boy’s shoulder and glaring at Ethan Walker as Reggie goes on about his morning, well, no one ever tried to claim that Bobby was the only protective one. Alex was the calm to Bobby’s storm and he didn’t mind also being the warning siren as well.


End file.
